Heading down CFL stretch, Redblacks are believers

REGINA – Through thick and thin, through injuries, adversity and a chilly October Friday night in Saskatchewan, the Ottawa Redblacks insist their belief has never wavered.

Now that they have clinched a playoff spot in the Canadian Football League’s East Division, the Redblacks are not only battle tested, but also confident they have what it takes to repeat as Grey Cup champions.

After back-to-back comeback victories out west, the latest 33-32 over the Roughriders, the Redblacks have made a statement and earned a break. After playing football for 17 weeks, the Redblacks will have their first bye week, followed by a home game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, then another bye week. First place in the East Division is still up for grabs.

“It’s going to be weird for us. We don’t do bye weeks,’” Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell said with a smile moments after his team scored two touchdowns in the final 2:31 to snatch victory away from the Roughriders. “It’s a huge deal to make the playoffs. We’re excited, but we have a whole bunch of work to do. It’s going to be a battle to the end with us and Toronto.”

“Goals change as you ascend,” said Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris, who on Friday completed 17 of 33 passes for 262 yards, many of them in key situations. “We’ve got a playoff spot. The next thing on the list is try and win the East. If not, we’ll try to grind our way to out to a playoff win, get to the East final and go from there.”

It was one of those games where it seemed unlikely to anyone other than the Redblacks that they would win. The Roughriders controlled time of possession, 38:19 to 21:41. It came down to the final two seconds, with the Redblacks getting one last shot after a pass-interference penalty in the end-zone. Ryan Lindley pushed into the end zone from a yard out for the winning points.

Defensively, the Redblacks struggled at times, but Sherrod Baltimore and Taylor Reed each made eight tackles, and there were interceptions by Jonathan Rose and Antoine Pruneau, who returned his 46 yards for a touchdown.

The Redblacks were also able to convert on their opportunities in the red zone (3-for-3) while making that part of the game difficult for the Roughriders (2-for-6), who settled for six Tyler Crapigna field goals.

Ottawa’s offence missed slotback Brad Sinopoli, who was a late scratch with a shoulder injury. He’ll be re-evaluated in Ottawa, with the team hoping the week off will help. Dominique Rhymes had three catches for 85 yards, while Diontae Spencer three for 71.

Maybe none of that would have happened without a well-executed trick play: a fake punt where Brett Maher tossed an eight-yard completion to Jake Harty, keeping alive a drive that ended with a touchdown catch by Greg Ellingson.

“We put our defence in a bind some (Friday),” Campbell said. “They were in a short field a few times. They had some key stops early in the game. We held them out of the end-zone and limited them to field goals, which kept us in the game.”

Said Harris: “It’s a credit to our defence. They didn’t have their best. Our offence, we didn’t have our best. Our specials, they didn’t have their best. It’s a mark of great teams, the teams that find a way to win late regardless of the circumstances. I just feel like this is a team on the rise. I’m glad we could steal this one when we’ve got a lot of guys banged up; we’re not healthy right now. It’s nice that, after playing 17 straight, we can get a bye week and rest up a bit.”

Pruneau’s interception was a turning point. Explained the safety: “The play extended a bit. My guy was running a dig (route), so I had to cover him deep. I saw (Roughriders quarterback) Kevin Glenn give him a last look, I was thinking I can reach the ball. I took it and ran. There was nothing in front of me. When I turned, I saw (penalty) flags. I said, ‘No way, my first CFL touchdown is coming back.’ They confirmed it was a touchdown, my guys came toward me to celebrate. I was so confused, I didn’t know what to do. It probably was the worst celebration of all time.”

Redblacks players celebrated generally in the locker room after the game, about as loudly as they had all season.

“We kept believing in each other,” Pruneau said. “The adversity we’ve faced all year, it helped us in the past two games. We know it’s not always going to be easy. When you keep believing, anything can happen. There’s still a lot of work ahead of us.”

“We fought and we deserve it,” Reed said. “We’re learning how to win, we’re learning how to finish. It’s all about who’s the hottest team going to the playoffs. We’re just going to keep fighting and take this momentum into the playoffs.”

Reed is heading to Texas, where he will close a deal on his first home.

“So a win, clinching the playoffs and I’m closing on my house. It’s a great week for me,” he said.

And, about that belief, one of the team’s biggest is defensive end Jonathan Newsome.

“My emotions stayed the same, I’m not lying,” Newsome said. “Not one time did I flinch, not one time did I think we were going to lose. I believed, we believed. What did I say on the sideline? Believe. That’s the bottom line, we believe.

Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris (7) spots a receiver down the field during second-half play against the Roughriders in Regina on Friday night. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark TaylorMark Taylor /
THE CANADIAN PRESS

REDBLACKS REPORT CARD

OFFENCE: B-

OK, the Redblacks scored 32 points, but one touchdown came from the defence. Slotback Brad Sinopoli (shoulder) was missed and the CFL’s leading receiver, Greg Ellingson, was held to two catches, although one of them was a huge touchdown grab with less than three minutes remaining. The offence will need to be sharper in weeks to come, though.

DEFENCE: B-

It was again example of the old bend, don’t break philosophy. They buckled at times, but the Roughriders settled for six field goals. They gave up 387 passing yards and another 72 on the ground, but there were huge plays sprinkled in, including interceptions by Jonathan Rose and Antoine Pruneau (for a touchdown).

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Christion Jones had 95 yards on five punt returns for the Roughriders. However, one of the biggest plays of the game for the Redblacks came on a special-teams trick play: an eight-yard completion by punter Brett Maher to Jake Harty with 4:39 left. That kept a drive alive.

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